PERSONAL STYLIST TIPS: NEW YEAR, NEW WARDROBE?

As we head into a new year, often we may feel refreshed and invigorated to stick to goals we have set ourselves! If one of your resolutions is to feel more stylish, confident, or even work on making new connections, get a new job, or build your business – one way to start can be understanding your wardrobe and style in a better way.

Where to start with a new personal style

The first step to discovering your new style, is to understand what you want to portray through your fashion. A few questions I always ask my styling clients are:

• What are the first few words you’d like people to think of when they see you?

• Who are your style icons or inspirations?

• Do you feel a certain way in particular colours?

When you know these, it can help you start developing a sort of style mood board, which is what I create with my personal styling clients on Pinterest, to help you see a selection of options in one space that will help you with future purchases.

Remove items for your wardrobe that don’t fit within your style

When you know the type of style you want to portray through your clothes, that you feel confident in and showcases the personality you’d like to convey, you can then start to edit your current wardrobe.

Having a wardrobe detox helps with several things when it comes to developing your personal style:

• It will save you time each day – no more wondering what will go with what!

• Your wardrobe will work smoothly together as full outfits that you can mix and match easily.

• You’ll no longer have any clothes that you don’t feel comfortable in – removing items that don’t fit you is one of the most important parts of this process, as well as the ones you don’t love or feel confident in when you put them on.

Once you have a wardrobe of items you already own, that work within your style you can move onto the next step – finding new items that work with your current ones!

How to find clothes that work with your personal style

Now you have a wardrobe that you can maximise outfits from, that makes you feel your best, and you have a curated mood board for your style inspiration, you can begin your shopping journey!

As a personal shopper myself, I am sure you wouldn’t be surprised to hear that I think making a shopping experience fun, enjoyable and functional is the most important part of your shopping experiences! You’ll want to make sure you do a few things before heading to the shops (whether online or in person).

• Note which items you want to purchase to create outfits from your current pieces in your wardrobe.

• What new items do you want to get to create new outfits?

• What is your budget for this particular shop, or perhaps your quarterly shop? Knowing your finances that you are happy to spend each season for particular items will make sure you know what you can invest in and what you need to save for.

• What colours do you want to add to your wardrobe, if any?

• Which accessories would be a great addition to your collection to help develop fuller more diverse outfits? Whether it’s a belt, a bag, shoes, jewellery, or hair pieces, accessories can transform a look and finish an outfit!

When you have a plan, and an understanding of the style and messages you want to convey through your styling choices, your shopping experiences should be more economical and more useful for you. When we reactively buy because of new year’s sales, a sudden need for something quickly, and without thought, it can cause us to buy items that we ultimately don’t wear. Fast fashion, trends, and garments that don’t last cause us to spend our valuable money on pieces that don’t suit our style for the long term. Taking time to consider what you want your style to showcase, why you want to create that style for yourself – perhaps for your work wardrobe, your confidence, journeying into a new age bracket, or merely to feel great – can truly make a huge difference to how you feel.

Clothes and fashion should work for you – not against you. I hope you will walk into the new year with more confidence and joy each day, and if you’d love help to do this using fashion as one of the tools to manage this, please get in touch.

PERSONAL SHOPPER TIPS: HOW TO PLAN YOUR SHOPPING ONLINE AND MAKE IT REALLY WORK FOR YOU

My gut tells me online shopping will be the preferred options from the majority of consumers over 2021. Online shopping can be "tricky" so, while I absolutely understand that people feel safer and want to avoid stepping into a physical store (and also, most of them do not allow us to try things on during these times) I'd recommend being careful with shopping online, trying to search specific items and avoid random/compulsive purchases. So here are some tips to help make sure your online shopping experience is a good one!

Write a list

My first tip is to write a shopping list and follow it while researching items. Start your list by going through your Spring wardrobe and find the items you feel are missing that can extend your outfits. Do you have a need for new tops, or camisoles, perhaps you may need a few replacement light cardigans – whatever you feel you may need to add to your wardrobe that would actually work with your current collection will ensure you have a list that works rather than a haphazard approach to shopping.

Which clothing brands do you love?

We often gravitate to certain brands that work for us, and our wardrobe will show us those brands. So, while you’re writing your list, find out the brands that seem to pop up regularly. With this in mind, you can then visit their online stores for their new collections or sale items, that match your shopping list!

What cuts work well for your body?

Our body can look amazing in certain styles, and with a knowledge of the style of jeans you love most, to the dress types that you feel amazing in, figure out the cuts and styles you love to wear and this will help you when searching for items online.

For example, if you feel fabulous in square neck tops – look for clothes with a similar neckline that you know you’ll feel confident in. Perhaps you need a new pair of jeans (now we are finally being given the opportunity to go outside with friends once again!), consider the style of jeans you like, as well as the leg length and waist size, which you can replicate with your next purchase. Flared jeans are coming back into fashion, so if you’ve been desperate to get a pair, now is a great time to invest.

What colours will suit your current wardrobe and personal style?

Another really important part to remember when it comes to shopping is to know the colours you love to wear, and that work with your wardrobe. Many online shops allow you to categorise by colour as well as type, so use this option so you’re not distracted by items that just won’t work with your current wardrobe!

Know your budget

My final tip is to consider your budget. Fast fashion works well for quick required pieces, but with so many of us still being wary of going out quite as much, you may want to step back and consider your budget. With a higher ticket price, you will often find a much better item – and if this means waiting a little while before investing in pieces that you will love, or waiting for a sale, then you will find your wardrobe has more clothing that you want to wear more often. Invest in a few important pieces while online shopping that stay within your budget, to treat yourself, but also to know that they will be worn with love & will work with multiple items in your wardrobe (if you’ve done all the other ideas in this list!).

If you are feeling a little overwhelmed by the thought of shopping online, or perhaps you have bought clothes in the past that you’re not using, please get in touch – I can help you with my online personal style masterclass where we will work together to create a perfect personal style for you. With this in hand, your shopping (online and offline) will be a much more enjoyable experience!